The American Criminal Legal System

Extraits

[...] : Juror No a 44-year-old black female, a computer technician, single, from South LA : Juror No a 38-year-old black female, single, an environmental health specialist, from Inglewood. : Juror No a 52-year-old black female, divorced, a postal worker from South Central. n°10 : Juror No a 28-year-old black female, married, a postal worker from Compton. Juror No a 22-year-old white female, single, an insurance claims adjuster from Burbank. n°12 : Juror No a 71-year-old black female, married, retired from the Crenshaw District. [...]

[...] The issues stressed by the Simpson's trial come firstly from the criminal system itself . In the American adversarial, or accusatorial, system of trial, the day of the trial is crucial. This is when the two contestants, climb up into the ring. One of the combatants may be favorite - it may seem like an open-and- shut case for the prosecution - but there is always the chance of an upset. No doubt such a system can produce tension, but does it deliver justice ? [...]

[...] Another aspect of the adversarial system is that court battles can be won or lost by advocacy. A good barrister, both by his skill at questioning and cross examination, and by his speeches to the jury, can sometimes turn a losing case into a 50/50 hope. The alternative system, as we all know, is the inquisitorial system, like in France. Far more investigations and inquiries are carried out before the trial so that not as much depends on what happens at the trial itself. [...]

[...] The American Criminal Legal System Introduction One could firstly underline the historical importance of the rule of law, which is one of the main values of the Founding Fathers. But now recent trends show that American tend to be less confident in their system than they used to be. OJ Simpson's case has well revealed the four main issues of the American legal system today : the problem of racial justice, the price of justice, the influence of the media, the selection and role of the jury. [...]

[...] The trial will have a lasting impact on the American society”. Conclusion To conclude we could quote a lawyer who said once : "The threads of the processes of the criminal law run through the entire tapestry of our personal and national life ; they give it vitality, pattern and color and when these threads become weak or torn, our national fabric suffers." We have seen the major issues of the US criminal justice system. However there isn't actually to be as cynical about it as I was. [...]